Why Isn't My Doorbell Working?

Is your doorbell no longer ringing? It’s a common problem, usually tracked down to certain obvious sources. Follow along with the certified team at Hoffman Electrical & A/C while we dive into the most common causes for an inoperable doorbell in Florida.

Need professional help troubleshooting your doorbell problems? Call our specialists today at 866-238-3243!

Faulty Button

The vast majority of doorbell electrical failures will ultimately track back to a faulty button at the door. Remove the button and check the two wires in the back that should make contact when the button is pressed; if one is broken or out of place, you’ve already identified your problem. Otherwise, try touching the two wires together and see if your doorbell rings.

If it does, the problem is in the button and you should simply pick up a new one. If there’s an obvious issue with the wires, it’s almost certainly a job for your electrician!

Bell Unit

Once you’ve eliminated the possibility of a problem at the button, your next stop should be the bell unit or chime housing. Start by looking for the obvious once you’ve removed the cover: anything not attached securely where it ought to be, or corroded, or worn, or otherwise damaged. If nothing pops out, you’ll want to test the electrical connection with a low-voltage tester.

Connect it to the common terminal and one of the doorbell terminals, then have someone press the button at that door—if it lights up, but doesn’t ring, the problem is in the bell unit. Sometimes a thorough cleaning will get a unit working, but otherwise it’s time for a full replacement.

Transformer

If obvious problems with the bell unit don’t show themselves, your next stop will be to look for the transformer and see if it has any problems. It’s important to note that this is where you move from the low-voltage systems of your doorbell to the much higher voltages of general home electricity. You can test the transformer with a low-voltage tester via screw terminals, but if it turns out to be the problem it’s almost certainly time to call an electrician.

Wires

At this stage, you’ve eliminated the button, the bell unit, and the transformer and found nothing wrong. If nothing pops out in any specific component, you need to check the wires running from your doorbell to the bell unit, and from the doorbell system to the transformer. Even the smallest problem can introduce enough disruption to prevent your doorbell from ringing..

Resolve Your Doorball Problems with Hoffman Electrical & A/C

If even an exhaustive search of the wiring of your doorbell still doesn’t reveal a problem, you’re probably dealing with some issue of the underlying electrical system. At this point, there’s not much you’ll be able to resolve on your own, even if you’re comfortable with DIY—electricity gets dangerous when you start looking at problems outside of the low-voltage system of a doorbell, after all. Definitely leave it to an electrician if it reaches this stage.

If you’ve reached this stage and need assistance in Hillsborough or Pinellas County, contact Hoffman Electrical & A/C today to schedule an appointment!